A large surplus of pentanes are available in the petroleum refining industry, arising predominantly from the increased production of light hydrocarbons from U.S. shale formations and also from limits on the quantity of volatile components that can be blended into finished transportation fuels, which must adhere to regulations on minimum vapor pressure. Unfortunately, conventional processes for upgrading light alkanes to value-added products are not well-suited for hydrocarbon feed streams that primarily comprise pentanes (i.e., isopentane and n-pentane). Therefore, it would be beneficial to find improved processes and systems for efficiently converting pentanes to more valuable products, including transportation fuels and chemicals, while minimizing the production of C1-C4 light paraffins.
The inventive processes disclosed herein provide an improved upgrading route for pentane-rich mixtures, such as fuel blend stocks and other pentane-rich streams that do not meet government fuel specifications. The inventive processes and systems provide enhanced yields of upgraded products that may be suitable for use as transportation fuels or other value-added chemical products.